Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-drawing processing system, a server apparatus, a user terminal, an image-drawing processing method, program, and a storage medium.
Description of the Background Art
A plurality of personal computers (PCs) connected via a network can be used as a kind of structured system that can be used to share and edit information or data input at each PC. Such a system may be used, for example, as a conferencing system (e.g., teleconferencing system) to assist knowledge creation such as meetings, communication, exchange of ideas, or the like, and can be used to connect multiple remote locations, as described, for example, in JP-4053378-B.
For example, various objects (text, figures, image, etc.) can be input from each PC using various applications such as a word processor editor, spreadsheet software, image drawing software, teleconference software, or the like. Further, all participants can simultaneously edit objects, input from each PC, on a shared screen.
Administration of the teleconference may be conducted by, for example, a shared administration unit of an administrator PC, activated at first, with such PC referred to as an administrator PC. To display information input from each PC to other PCs simultaneously, the shared administration unit of the administrator PC transmits information input from each PC to shared administration units of other PCs. Further, the administrator PC similarly transmits work results conducted by one PC to shared administration units of other PCs. With such a configuration, users can proceed with the conference while checking work results conducted at each PC on a screen in real time.
As described above, with such a conferencing system, various objects such as text, figures, or the like, can be edited. For example, an information input device and a touch panel can be used to generate, edit, and manipulate handwritten objects, which is input manually, in which the touch panel includes a display to function as a display unit, and an information input/output unit having a coordinate detector to detect a coordinate position in a coordinate detection area indicated by a pointing device such as the tip of a finger, a pen, or the like, also as disclosed in JP-4053378-B.
Further, JP-3789946-B describes a drawing/editing system for drawing/editing figures using object-oriented display, in which a shared drawing system includes a user interface adapted to handwriting operations to provide more natural operation. In such a draw-type system, users can naturally select and edit given objects using a pen on a touch panel.
Further, JP-H11-96387-A discloses a technology that can switch between an edit mode for stroke data and an edit mode for bitmap data, by which handwriting objects can be erased dot by dot and figure objects can be erased object by object by switching between a paint-type system and draw-type system.
However, the above-described technologies have drawbacks. For example, in the system described in JP-4053378-B, handwritten objects are retained as bitmap images, thus increasing a network transfer load. Further, although each object can be manipulated as a whole, an operation to erase one part in one object cannot be conducted.
Further, in the system described in JP-3789946-B, objects that intersect with a handwriting stroke by user can be erased, by which a more natural erasing operation can be conducted, but an operation to erase one part in one object retained in the system cannot be conducted.
Further, in JP-H11-96387-A, if data is stored as a bitmap image in the paint-type system, image quality may deteriorate when the image data is enlarged. Further, an explicit switch between these two modes is required, which degrades operating efficiency.